Citizenship

Citizenship offers a fundamental framework for inclusion in increasingly diverse societies and also the promotion of community cohesion amidst this diversity. ICD plays an important role within the citizenship agenda by providing opportunities to welcome, and promote understanding between, new and indigenous or established communities.

The UK Government’s response to the ‘hyper- diversity’ it faces has been to introduce a range of citizenship policies and approaches in order to bring clarity of roles and responsibilities and more meaning to becoming British citizens. This is not  in opposition - and is generally in addition - to the building of communications and interaction between groups and individuals, but rather, tends to place a strong emphasis on belonging to the nation on the basis of citizenship rights, shared political values, common civic institutions and a shared language.

In recent years the UK’s approach to citizenship has increasingly emphasised not only individual rights but also mutual obligations to the nation and community. Contractual citizenship is formed by ‘horizontal’ solidarity between citizens (social contract) and a ‘vertical relationship’ between the citizen and the state (political contract) (Goodhart 2006).
In light of the above developments a number of citizenship policies and approaches have been introduced, including the citizenship ceremony, the citizenship test, the requirement to show knowledge of the English language and the introduction of citizenship as a curriculum subject in all Secondary English schools (2002). An additional way in which government has strengthened its commitment to the notion of citizenship is by introducing the ‘active citizenship’ agenda in order to address the apathy towards civic and political participation that exists, particularly among young people living in the UK. Volunteering is at the heart of this agenda and intercultural dialogue provides a useful vehicle for effectively increasing volunteering opportunities within communities and across communities in the UK.

In recent times the UK has faced a new phenomenon. Due to recent EU migration, fewer people are willing to take up British citizenship or able to establish long-term roots within communities. ICD may play an increasing role in providing opportunities for dialogue and interaction between ‘transient’ or ‘non-citizens’ and citizens, beyond the public sphere in which most citizens operate.